223 Tasting Notes

It’s AFL grand final day here in Australia, so I’m celebrating it by ignoring it completely and drinking tea. Also, doing some marketing work for my tea company employer. Very unAustralian, but it’s making me happy!

I made my partner a cup last night and made another for my morning cuppa for work today for myself. He was blown away by it, which for someone who only a few months ago wouldn’t even try green tea is pretty amazing. He really likes it, especially the vanilla part. He’s happy that he has a lower caffeine option that is perfectly vanilla-y to have at night instead of his Vanilla (black).

The vanilla! Wow! Its so creamy and sweet, but in a good way. In the way that only proper real vanilla can give to a cup. It complements the sencha perfectly, adding some creamy sweetness to the light green base. Ah! A new favourite, methinks. I can’t wait to have this iced as the warms up!

Steep conditions – around 5 mins. An accident, damn work getting in the way of my tea testing!
Temperature – I’m guessing it was around 75-80oC, but I forgot to take my thermometer to the kitchen, so its a guess.

I’ve been slowly working my way through my box of this one, and after the cup I brewed up for breakfast this morning, I’m down to the last cup of that box. Unfortunately for my attempts to sort out my cupboard/teashelves/swap box craziness, I work for the company that makes this one so getting more is all too easy (practically and on the hip pocket!).

I brewed up a cup to have this morning before breakfast, my first black in about 5 days. I had a headache that lingered with my tummy bug and headaches and caffeine do not mix well in me. Just beautiful. The other half started doing his blacks at 95oC-ish instead of 100oC to wean himself off adding in sweetners as a necessity, and its a good trick! This comes out unbelievably smooth at 95, full of the bergamot flavouring and not a hint of bitterness. Beautiful.

Preparation

So my tummy bug has finally gone. I went to my GP on Monday, and she confirmed my self-diagnosis. And miracle of all miracles, I got prescribed bed rest instead of drugs! The power of food, people (and suitable hydration in all forms of tea of course). It makes all the difference in immunity. So after lots of lying on the couch and getting very well acquainted with both the Upper East Side and the Winchesters (yep, my viewing preferences are as varied as my tea preferences), I’m back 4 days later.

This is just an incredible thing for me. One mild illness (non-genetic) all year. Yahoooo!

I have to admit I wasn’t drinking heaps of tea, I was chugging down lots of bone broth and probiotics though. Just the green teas I’ve been using as my green smoothie base.

Anywho, I’m back at work, and back tea drinking today, so I am having another timolino of this one as it was what was left in my bag from last week. Still fine, brews really easily too. A not fussy green. I only have another cup or so’s worth left of this, I might on-gift it to someone else.

So after my atrocious sleep Sunday night, last night my lovely other half got a good sleep. At my expense. He seemed to like being right in the middle of our bed, with most of the doona. And rolling over on top of me left arm and side. But he slept well! He was so apologetic, and I know it wasn’t deliberate, but I can tell my barre instructor will be say a lot of “no, the other right!” to me tonight in class.

So, black tea it is! This one is still really lovely! The flavours are there, but not really strong, which I’m appreciating this morning. Nothing worse than the tea equivalent of heavy metal music when you’re still half asleep. Everything is just lovely and balanced, and gently coaxing me into the land of the living.

On Sunday we passed through the local T2 after doing a free yoga class at Lululemon and they had their Monk’s Pear for sampling. Not as good as this perfectly flavoured drop.

Preparation

This is really quite nice, a lovely warming brew with enough sweetness. That actually tastes like berries and chocolate. Not up to my favourite (Della Terra’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries) but still really nice. Plus the black base is helping to keep me awake today. Damn wind.

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Bio

I remember getting my first cup of tea at about the age of 8. Just a standard run of the mill black, with some sugar and milk to make it palatable to an 8year old. But a love was born and I’ve never looked back!

I’ve always appreciated the quality of loose leaf, and thanks to the discovery of the fanatastic gadgets at DavidsTea while on holiday, the tea obsession has grown! Is it weird to be ordering tea and having it sent half way around the world?

I’d love to do some tea swaps with people to try new teas. I have a bit of a DavidsTea range for any Australians interested in trying some DT goodness minus international postage fees!

Ive just started working at The Art of Tea , a small Tasmanian company. They dont currently ship overseas, but im more than happy to arrange swaps with people. their full product listing can be found here: http://www.artoftea.com.au/. (December 2012).